I Never Knew
by Hello-Violet
Summary: Three years after the show's finale, Violet is continuing to struggle with moving on despite and ever-growing success in her career. After shutting down and feeling misunderstood, she doesn't know who can help her find herself again, because she's failing to do so on her own. That is, until, somebody comes back into her life. Extremely AU themes. Continued upon request.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is my first story in several years. After much thought, I felt it would be appropriate to return and breathe new life to some old favorite characters of mine. I'm a little rusty, but willing to continue this story if even one person is willing to read it. Obviously, you will find that quite a few creative liberties have been taken. Some events from the show (both minor and major) have been changed or even disregarded.**

She was never much of a coffee person, but with so much change in her life, she was willing to give it a go. Every fiber of her being screamed for something new and as she sat at the island counter of the freshly modernized kitchen, Violet knew that she was trying too hard lately. Trying to forget the death of her husband that plagued her in waves over the course of the last three years. Trying to forget the move she made to leave behind every bad memory made at her previous address. And trying to forget that no matter how many moves, remodels, taste tests, and new experiences she put herself through, it would all continue to be a part of her.

How many times was somebody sitting on a couch and listened to her say that once you learn how to live with life altering situation, you learn to find happiness over time? As this idea crossed the psychiatrist's mind, a low chuckle escaped her lips before the ceramic cup silenced her and warm caffeine ran down her throat. The advice applied to so many people and after several happenstances of running into prior patients on the street and hearing and seeing how happy they were, she knew she was damn good at her job. And yet, with all the passing years, tragedy after tragedy failed to be replaced by something so distractingly good that she wouldn't have the time to look back.

She loved her job and her child who got bigger every time she walked out of the room. Raising him was pure joy and yet, something was missing. It left a bad taste in her mouth to say the words, as though they would cause other people to judge her. How easy would it be to misunderstand what she meant and assume she wasn't satisfied with being a mother? So she kept her mouth shut most of the time. When Cooper wanted to listen, she'd talk, but now that he was on cloud nine about raising his own litter, he had a difficult time understanding. He tried to tell her that he understood, but in an instant, he would go on about how parenthood should fill any void a person felt. He didn't realize he was doing it and normally Violet would look passed such things. It was getting progressively harder.

Sam and Naomi swore to her that she would find what was missing after the both of them experienced a whirlwind of a love story that drove them apart for several years before bringing them back together, happier than ever.

Charlotte gagged at everybody's happy as pie comments and kept things as real as it would get. 'Life will suck until it doesn't anymore' - the most truthful words spoken to her, although they got her as far as everyone else's wise words.

Addison was still wrapped up happily in marriage and raising a toddler. They had fun nights out every now and then, but real talk was becoming increasingly harder. The more she tried to be heard, the smaller she felt. Lost.

Sheldon came home seven months after leaving to be with Miranda. Given the irreparable stage of cancer she had been dealing with, the practice left his job open. They knew he'd be back and when he arrived and admitted that his short lived lover died two and a half months after they went off to travel, he was too messed up to come home right away. He and Violet quickly picked up where they left off because as far as broken people go, the two of them had much to talk about. Between that and their like degrees, it was nice to have him around, since he always made an effort to understand her. When he didn't, he refused to judge her. Six weeks ago, his cancer returned, and he disconnected himself once again. On top of losing an active friend, she now constantly worried about him dying.

It was difficult to find things that mattered to her. Her novel 'Private Practice' had been published just over a year ago, and it reached greater heights than the last one. She was constantly recognized and asked about when her third book would be penned. But the thing was... there was nothing to write about. Violet was insanely tired of being the woman who used her tragedies to sell. That was never how she saw it when she wrote a chapter. Each page was used to vent and to help connect herself with others who felt as lost in the world as did. Her books were meant to help people, and they did. But every time she did an interview or drew attention while out, her hardships were always mentioned. She was always asked about how she coped with them and the longer she lived an unhappy life, the less she was able to cope with it all.

Every day felt like a step backwards and she actually dreaded being spotted. All it did these days was remind her that such horrible things defined her life. What good things defined her? Not a thought came to mind. That ever lingering loneliness escaped to engulf her and all she had to fight it off was coffee. Quickly, she finished her cup and poured herself a new one before staring out of the window. From this spot, she had the perfect view of Lucas's swing set. With a sigh, she wished she kept him home from school today so he could distract her. She'd done it once a week since school started just a month ago and she knew she needed to stop. What she needed was an adult companion.

Her own laughter filled the room in an attempt to push the idea from her mind. Just a few nights ago, Addison came over and after a few glasses of wine, she was trying to get Violet to pose for an online dating profile picture. A profile that Violet was completely mortified of, and yet, it wound up being made. Her redheaded friend found a picture once she came to terms with the fact that Violet was not about to cooperate.

Within a few days, she would most likely delete the profile, but it was amusing every now and then to read through the messages. Amusing in the sense that she was genuinely surprised by how many people acknowledged her, and thought she was beautiful. That wasn't something she believed these days and if anything at all, they knew her from her career and wanted to run into the spotlight. Yes. It felt believable that these men would prey off of her desperation and vulnerability.

A few feet away laid her laptop since she often checked emails and took care of business on there before taking Lucas to school. It usually just sat there because she rarely had a day off from the practice, but since Naomi and Sam were reconstructing once again, Violet and the rest of her colleagues had the whole week off. The time off was paid and so she didn't want to complain, but she'd much rather keep busy. But since her laptop was right there, she reached out for it and opened it. It took a minute to load and was it was running efficiently, she brought up her profile and began to scroll through messages that she would never respond to. Just like the others. None of them held her attention for more than five seconds, until she stumbled upon a particular one somewhere in the middle of messages.

 _"_ _You've gotten more beautiful over time. I'm sorry I couldn't stick around to see you smile at least once more."_

All the profile picture featured was the ocean and the display name was _"Anonymous."_ That didn't help at all. What she did see was a green dot next to his picture which meant he was online. As much as she hated herself for humoring what might actually be a joke, she cracked under pressure.

 _"_ _Do I know you?"_

How could she not respond? Did she actually know who this person was, or were they pulling her leg? To kill time, she sipped the black cup of coffee slowly, staring at the screen as though the intensity would prompt a response. Eventually, it came.

 _"_ _Of course you do."_

 _"_ _And you are...?"_

 _"_ _Regretful that I never tried."_

The more she thought about it, the more it felt like a joke. She laughed to herself as she wrote back.

 _"_ _Very funny."_

 _"_ _Not at all."_

 _"_ _Okay, you're right. This isn't funny. Who are you?"_

 _"_ _Well now I'm scared to tell you."_

 _"_ _Why?"_

 _"_ _Because now you know I like you."_

 _"_ _Come on now. For all you know, I could have liked you."_

 _"_ _Unlikely."_

Curiosity had gotten the best of her and if this was a trap, this person definitely saw her coming. At least she wasn't sitting around, wallowing in self pity. This was a step up, talking to this mystery man... person... potential weirdo. Oh god. What if they were a weirdo? Katie flashbacks filled her memory and her hand instinctively covered the aging scar on her stomach. Maybe she shouldn't respond? It was a bad idea, right?

As though this person was inside of her mind, they sent another message.

 _"_ _Don't worry, I'm not some freak. You're safe. You were always safe with me."_

 _"_ _You know, the more you play this game, the less I feel like I actually know you."_

It was getting too weird. Standing up from the stool and refilling the cup once more, the brunette held it in her hands and paced back and forth in the kitchen. This profile was a huge mistake. From the corner of her eye, she noticed another message pop up. Like a magnet, she was pulled closer by some invisible force.

 _"_ _Screw it. I'm back and I'm going to give it a shot this time."_

Frustrated and undeniably nervous, Violet backed away from the laptop looked for any possible distraction. There was some mail she forgot to send out earlier, and the mailman always reminded her that he would be willing to take her outgoing mail for her. Although she felt bad, this time she would take him up on it. Grabbing the pile with her free hand, she went out the back door rather than the front door since it was closer and honestly, she could use the extra minute of inconvenience. And so she walked within her fenced in property, around the side until she came to the mailbox that was off to the far left of her front yard.

Just as she put the envelopes in, she heard somebody walking up her property and her heart fell straight to her ass. Along the walkway to her front door, she had tall bushes that she instantly regretted. Who the hell was walking up there? Yes, it occurred to her that she had friends, but they always forewarned her that they were coming because they were mindful of her PTSD, even though it had been years since the last series of attacks.

Well, the streak was about to be broken.

 _Oh. My. God. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I love you, Lucas. Oh my god, my child is going to be an orphan._

Hearing the knocks on her door, she couldn't remember if she locked it. More likely than not, she did. If she made it back inside through the back and locked herself in, she'd be alright. The brunette nodded to the silent plan like a crazy person and the silence was broken as she ran the perimeter of her home. Suddenly, every branch she never knew existed managed to be exactly where her feet landed to be broken louder than the boom of thunder.

"Violet?" a man's voice called her name. Crap. They heard her. They knew her. Was it the internet stalker?

 _I AM GOING TO DIE._

Tears blurred her vision and she forced her feet to carry her faster, but the lack of sight handicapped her. She fell faster than she could process it. Before she knew it, her body hit the ground. If it had a pulse within her body, it was beating so loud that she swore her stalker could hear it too. And he was coming.

Opening her eyes and rubbing them dry with dirty hands, she used her renewed sight to make sure her surroundings were clear, then pushed her dirt covered body from the ground. She was running before she could even straighten her body, and she was quickly into the backyard. Whoever heard her before decided to come in from the other side. She noticed a body turning the corner from the other side and an involuntary scream left her body as she bolted for the door in hopes of making it first.

"Violet it's me!" although the voice sounded familiar, she couldn't recognize it in such a state of panic. Maybe they weren't a friend. Maybe they were somebody who hated her. There were plenty of people who disliked her. "Are you okay?! Is somebody following you?!" Did this guy really think he was going to fool her? Was he trying to play savior, as though he was the one scaring off her stalker? He _was_ the stalker.

The door was still cracked open thankfully because if life were a horror movie, the door would be jammed or something. She let herself in and spun around to slam the glass door shut and locked it. Her body was trembling beyond control, her breathing was irregular, and when she looked down at her dirt covered body, she noticed a cut on her arm and blood dripping down it and more coming through her white tank top. Was it her scar? Before she could check, the sound of something hitting the door made her jump and pulled her attention away from the blood.

"Violet!" the voice sounded desperate to help her and as much as she wanted to believe it, she took precautions first and grabbed a knife from the block on the counter a few feet away. Not that this crying mess of a person waving a knife around could actually scare somebody. But she did need to see who this person was before she called the cops, in case they made a run for it. They were a killer after all, surely.

Taking a deep breath, she walked back over to the door where this person knocked on it while calling her name over and over. Of all the hundreds of faces that flashed through her mind, this was not one she imagined. In fact, it wasn't one she expected to ever see again in her life. The knife fell from her hand as she realized this person could never hurt her. He'd always been a savior of sorts.

"It's really you?" she asked between pathetic cries, just loud enough for him to hear from the other side of the door.

He nodded his head as he looked passed her and noticed the laptop on the island. "I'm sorry. It didn't seem so creepy in my head. In retrospect... I'm an asshole. I'm sorry."

It never occurred to her that he could like her. What about her could be so attractive? Perplexed by the entire situation, she hadn't even let him in yet. "Did you really mean what you said? There's no way you-"

"I meant it."

Having this person feel any sort of romantic feelings toward her never crossed her mind. It never seemed possible. Just like him returning into her life never seemed possible. And yet, here he was. And now that he was here, he was exactly what he wanted. His presence gave her the clarity she'd been struggling to find.

For a moment, she found herself feeling so shy that she looked down, only to find that she was still a bloody and dirty mess. Embarrassment washed over her and he must have read it in her expression.

"Stop, you're beautiful."

Hearing him chuckle elicited the same response out of her. Turning the look and opening the door for him, his smile showed nothing but pure joy; something she never thought she could give somebody for even a second.

"You're back?"

"I'm back."

"For good?" the brunette was terrified to open her heart up once again in this lifetime only for it to be mangled like it had been in the past.

"For good," he promised as he stepped inside and pulled Violet into his arms with such strength. She returned it as though he'd disappear if she let go. He couldn't leave again. He said he wouldn't, and she miraculously believed him.

"Shit. Violet Marianne Turner. Is this really happening?" the amazement in his voice reminded her that she was important. At least, she was to him.

Violet buried her face in his chest and laughed. "Shit. William Dell Parker. It really is happening."


	2. Chapter 2

Pronounced dead, only to beat the odds and take a breath that gave everybody hope. Of everybody in that room, apart from his daughter, Violet still felt to this day that she had been the most relieved. It shouldn't have been a contest, but all she kept thinking about was how she couldn't handle losing somebody she'd gotten so close with so recently; somebody who truly understood how she felt - and if he didn't, he never made her feel crazy. In a world where she referred to herself as "Crazy Head", that truly meant the world to her.

Her desire for him to survive wasn't all selfish, however. Dell was so young and had so much potential. So much to offer the world. He barely had enough time to share a fraction of what he was capable of. Once she feared losing him, she actually ran an uncontrollable list of all the people who deserved to die in place of her friend. It was horrible and she wouldn't want to admit it out loud, but it was true. There were so many criminals of all calibers, people who lacked any sincerity, and love... a soul. There were actual monsters disguised as humans out there, living freely to execute whatever horrible things crossed their minds. At the end of the day, it didn't make sense for Dell's life to be cut short when so many other people exhausted their purpose.

The midwife recovered, slowly, and Violet found her way to the hospital every single day during this process. She would bring takeout, since that was her specialty, she brought clean clothes, books, movies, and even Betsey. All three of them got very close and just as Violet was managing to push through her fears and was willing to admit that she somehow formed feelings for the younger man, he disappeared. Literally, vanished. She could never forget the pain and betrayal that tortured every fiber of her being when she found his hospital bed empty. She went from fearing the worst to being told that he was discharged. A call to his cell phone came with an automated message informing her that the line had been disconnected. A drive to his house brought the news that all of his things had been cleared out. A failure to find Betsy was what finally confirmed it. He was gone.

Violet had hoped that whatever forced him to leave without a trace would linger in Dell's mind long enough for him to feel badly about what he'd done. Maybe guilt would bring him back, or least inspire a call to Violet to let her know that he was alright. That call never came. Hopes of igniting a spark with him quickly became a personal joke. What made her think that he could ever feel anything for her? Hell, she obviously meant nothing to him. Apparently none of his friends did, because nobody knew anything regarding his disappearance.

Keeping her feelings to herself, the psychiatrist continued working on her fragile self, getting her son back in her life, and eventually getting back together with Pete. Not even he knew about the feelings she had harbored for the missing midwife. If he wanted to vanish, she had decided to grant him his very last wish and did her best to erase him from her mind.

As she looked herself in the mirror, throwing her damp curls up into a messy bun on top of her head, she urged herself to remember this. Dell had a history of disappearing. What if she walked downstairs and he wasn't cooking lunch as promised? What if he was gone again? "Don't get too excited," she told herself with a sigh. Just to further remind herself not to get too ahead of the game, she didn't bother with makeup, and dressed casually in skinny jeans and a loose gray v-neck shirt. She slipped into black booties and kept saying over and over in her head that he might not even be in the kitchen anymore. But when she reached the room, he was in there tending to a pan on the stove. Whatever it was, it smelled amazing. And as happy as she was when she left the room, her mind had taken her to a different place and she was almost too petty to admit that it was like heaven on earth right now.

Having heard her walk in, the blonde turned around around and flashed a smile before getting back to work. Somehow, all of the work she'd put into guarding herself the last several minutes went straight to shit. His smile made her melt and she was thankful that his back was turned to her as involuntarily beamed at him like lovesick teenager.

"You're just in time," he finally broke the silence as he turned off the heat on the stove and carried the pan over to a bowl on the island a few feet from where Violet just sat down. "I hope you're hungry. I always cook in bulk."

Curiosity got to her, forcing to her lean over to see what was in the works. Chicken with alfredo sauce and asparagus on top. In another bowl was broccoli and garlic. Honestly, she didn't even realize she had the ingredients in her kitchen. She bought a lot of things, but seldom knew what to do with them. Trying to find the right words, she just allowed whatever came to mind come out. "I didn't realize you knew how to cook."

"I have a kid," he shrugged like it was nothing, and like being a parent came with some superpower that comes to life once the child leaves the womb.

"Oh, well yeah, obviously..." the brunette laughed awkwardly and for far too long with a nod that eventually turned into a shake from side to side. "Yeaaaaah. I never got that superpower."

A chuckle escaped Dell and as their eyes met, she couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh. "I'm sure you can't be as bad as you used to be..." The look on her face confirmed what he genuinely struggled to believe. "Alright, alright. I guess I'll have to teach you a few things," he told her as he served a plate for each of them, then dug around a little to find the proper silverware. Once everything was set and drinks were poured, he sat down next to Violet.

Hungry literally always, Violet didn't wait long before taking a bite and regretted letting out the small involuntary moan that instantly earned a smile from Dell. She looked down, trying to hide how red her burning hot face was turning. Suddenly feeling his hand on her thigh and his lips pressing a kiss against her cheek, it took everything she had not to let out another one of those horrifying embarrassing moans. "You're so cute," he spoke so quietly that her body moved in closer until the red flag went off in her mind.

"Have you always thought that?" she pulled back just enough to make eye contact with him. She felt like she could call bullshit if she saw his eyes.

"Yes."

There was nothing suspicious about the way he told her this. She knew he had a crush on Naomi a long time before Violet ever felt anything for him. Their practice was some weird circle of colleagues who doubled as close friends who often forgot that there were other people on the planet to pursue love with. They always kept it in the circle. As much as it should have bothered her, she couldn't deny that she was one of the main offenders. She tried to have a friends with benefits relationship with Cooper at one point. Thankfully, that fell through. There was once a time when she wasn't sure if Pete or Sheldon was the father of Lucas. And for years, she kept her feelings for Dell a secret from everyone. It was totally possible that he always thought she was attractive at the very least.

"Did you really have feelings for me?"

"Yes."

"Like that?..."

"Yes."

He wasn't hesitating.

"Even when you left?"

This took a minute for him to find the answer. As guilty as he looked, Violet didn't want to believe that he was. If she believed he was guilty, she would forgive him too quickly. Yet, the troubled expression on his face was becoming increasingly harder to ignore. "Of course I did. I've made plenty of questionable choices back then when it came to my love life. I was in a marriage that lacked it completely and when she was gone, I felt like a monster for thinking Heather deserved to die. But I was really trying to bring myself to a state of mind where I could convince myself that I deserved you."

"You couldn't?" The brunette thought she was less than what he deserved, so trying to understand what he felt was important. As a psychiatrist, she was grabbing this chance to pick apart the details that could repair a special part of her insanity that's never had the chance to heal.

"No, of course not," he smiled shyly at her. "I'll never deserve you, especially after falling off the face of the earth."

"For six years."

"For six years," he repeated guiltily. "But just like I did then, I'm willing to selfishly take what I shouldn't have."

Just like then? Was that some kind of a joke? "Okay, at what point did you 'try'? Am I missing something?" Running the scenes of the past in her mind, concluded that her truthful version lacked some effort on his part.

His confusion matched hers. Clearly, neither of them could understand what the other person was missing. "Violet, I had to get out of there and start over. After Heather's death, Betsy being put in danger, and me almost dying? I couldn't stay there. When I was told I could leave the hospital, I knew I couldn't stay here for another day, so I grabbed everything I had and left. But before I did, I left that note for you."

"A note?"

"Yes, I explained everything in. I even asked you to come with me."

"First of all, I would have remembered getting a note from you. Second, I tried finding you. I tried calling you. You weren't trying to be found," anger boiled up in her. Was he trying to make an ass out of her to look innocent? They could have been together if he stayed, or even left the damn phantom note.

Seeing her get angry seemed to cause him to borrow the emotion, or rather, frustration. "Violet, I can prove it. Where's Pete?!"

This question completely threw her off. Every emotion on the spectrum hit her like freight train. "Dude, are you serious?"

"Yes!"

"Have you read my books? Or anything? Read a blog about me or watched any of my interviews?!" this question wasn't meant to sound pretentious at all. If he cared so much, why wouldn't his curiosity lead him to anything tracing back to her?

"No. I couldn't. It hurt too much."

He tried to erase her, just like she tried to erase him.

Just when she thought she could deliver the news without a shred of emotion, tears welled up in her eyes. "Pete is dead."

Not even the best actor in the world could fake the shock on Dell's face. He was nearly expressionless, at a complete loss for words. He must have wondered how it happened, when it happened. He must not have been in California when it happened, because that story took the headlines for quite some time.

"He was actually in a legal battle over malpractice," she began the way she always did when she told the short but sweet story. "He was running in the mountains to clear his head the morning of the trial. He missed it, and all I had from him was a message saying 'Went for a run. Whatever happens, know that I love you', so I mistook it and thought he actually fled the country or something..." the brunette wiped the tears from her eyes as she told herself that no amount of time would make telling this story easier. She always had flashes of his corpse when she told this damn story. "He had a heart attack as he was running. Nobody was around to help him and coyotes ate his corpse. Pete had a death as wild as his personality."

As she had experienced in the past when telling others the details of her late husband's death, Dell was still at a complete and total loss for words. He looked disgusted, and rightfully so. He also had the look of a man mourning the loss of a friend. It might have been old news around here, but it was brand new for Dell.

"I... I don't even know... That's awful," his best efforts produced those words. After another minute, maybe longer, he spoke again. "He didn't deserve that."

"No, he didn't. He was a son of a bitch, but nobody deserves that," for the sake of a distraction, she took another bite of her food. Caught between a distant sadness over the loss of Pete and admitting that it was old news, she didn't quite know what to say.

"I hope you two figured things out with Lucas beforehand. I know you two had a tough time."

That was when it occurred to her that he really had missed so much. Like six years worth of crap. He had no idea that she was about to drop another bombshell.

"Barely," that was an understatement. "We were married, but we were constantly at war. We were separated most likely headed for divorce had he lived. He was just so set in his stubborn ways. I would have preferred battling over custody than handling funeral arrangements."

"I completely agree. It must have been so hard. I'm sorry."

So not ready to have this conversation, she wanted to revert back to whatever in the hell it was that they were talking about beforehand. She fished her memory until she was able to recall where they left off. "So you were talking about a note. What about it? What note?"

Dell shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I really don't know if now is the time."

"I mean, we could always wait another six years, or-"

"No, no, you're right. I just don't want to say anything about Pete since he can't defend himself."

"That hasn't stopped anybody," Violet assured him. "It's been three years and I hear something new more often than you'd expect. Just tell me Dell."

He thought about it for a few seconds, and with a sigh, decided to go ahead with what he was trying to explain earlier. Except this time, he obviously couldn't speak directly to Pete for answers. "When I was leaving the hospital, I ran into Pete. He had a patient there. We spoke for a few minutes and I wrote a note for you. He said he'd make sure you got it and that he wouldn't open it."

It's been a long time since Violet was able to trace back a miserable situation and pinpoint Pete as the source. He'd done so many questionable things, but this took the cake, as far as she was concerned. Whether he read it or not, he failed to deliver a note that could have sent her down a completely different path. And while she didn't regret marrying Pete despite their lack of ups and constant downs, it was never up to him to decide what information she was allowed to receive. Now she wondered if he read the note and got rid of it because by then, he already knew he wanted her back? He kept an option away from her so he could dictate the situation. Not only that, but he lied when she asked everybody if they knew even a shred of information. Pete Wilder performed another act of God and managed to keep it from her knowledge well beyond his death. She wished she could see him one more time so she could smack him.

"He never gave it to me. So I think it's safe to say we've both tried getting over each other, thinking we've been abandoned. The truth is, we've never even gotten a chance and that was out of our control." Violet glanced at the clock, then back at the man in front of her. "I'm sorry you thought I didn't want you."

"I'm sorry you thought I didn't want you too," he smiled sweetly. "But let's not get mad at somebody who can't defend themselves, or wish we could change something that already happened. I wanted you then, but it didn't happen. I want you now. That's in our control."

"You promise you're really staying?"

"I promise."

"If you ever have any notes or anything for me, please, give them directly to me. Okay?"

He laughed "lesson learned. Of course."

"Then yeah, okay. I want to try this," she smiled sweetly before taking another bite of her food. "Not to be a buzzkill, but I do have to pick Lucas up from school soon. I'm dropping him off at Cooper and Charlotte's for a sleepover. I don't know if you and Betsy have anything going on, but-"

"She actually sleeping over a friend's house as well. So maybe we can do something tonight? Once you're back from dropping Lucas off? Spend some time alone with him before I explain to the poor kid that I'm trying to pick up his mommy."

"That's one way to put it," her attempt to keep a straight face went to shit in a hot second, and she busted out in a fit of genuine laughter. She almost forgot what it felt like to laugh freely and not feel guilty about it. "I guess we're going on a date."


End file.
